Carnival for the Dead

Hewson (The Promised Land) brings abundant chills to this creepy, well-crafted whodunit set in modern-day Venice. Teresa Lupo, a respected if unconventional pathologist, is deeply troubled that Sofia Bianchi, her beloved aunt, has disappeared. Teresa's mother fears Sofia has taken her own life. Frantic with worry, Teresa pounds the pavement in search of some lead. Strange things begin occurring as she undertakes her quest. An anonymous bouquet of flowers is sent to Teresa at her aunt's apartment, and a masked gunman, wearing the carnival costume of the Plague Doctor character, shoots an actress before jumping to his death. Most unsettling are her encounters with a cryptic figure who claims to be the immortal count of Saint-Germain. Hewson manages to make everything add up, while imbuing the alleyways of Venice with a sinister patina that helps the reader connect emotionally to the mystery of Sofia's fate. (Aug.)